Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey forced to apologize for eating Chick-fil-A during Pride Month
- Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey apologized Sunday for eating at Chick-fil-A during Pride Month.
- Former CNN anchor Soledad O'Brien tweeted: "This is an interesting company to boost during Pride month, @jack."
- In response, Dorsey said, "You're right. Completely forgot about their background."
- Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy set off a fury among gay-rights supporters in 2012 after he said that the company was "guilty as charged" for backing "the biblical definition of a family."
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey ignited a backlash online after revealing that he ate at Chick-fil-A.
Dorsey posted a photo to Twitter captioned "Boost @ChickfilA" showing he had saved 10% on a $31.58 order at the fast-food chain.
Critics immediately seized on Dorsey for supporting Chick-fil-A, whose CEO has come under fire for his views on gay marriage, during Pride Month.
"You must love the taste of bigotry!" one person wrote in response.
"Why is Twitter boosting a notoriously anti-gay company during #PrideMonth?" another person wrote.
Among the critics was former CNN anchor Soledad O'Brien, who said, "This is an interesting company to boost during Pride month, @jack."
In response, Dorsey said, "You're right. Completely forgot about their background."
Some people supported Dorsey's decision to eat at Chick-fil-A, however, saying the food is "great" and he shouldn't have to apologize for eating a chicken sandwich.
"Don't give in to these people and their complaints. I'm gay and I LOVE ChickfilA. Ridiculous. Go on and eat that Chick-fil-A and post as much as you want about it!" one person wrote.
The backlash shows Chick-fil-A still has lingering problems with its brand image following remarks made six years ago by the company's CEO, Dan Cathy, regarding his views on gay marriage.
Cathy set off a fury among gay-rights supporters in 2012 that led to nationwide protests after he told the Baptist Press that the company was "guilty as charged" for backing "the biblical definition of a family."
After Cathy's remarks, reports emerged detailing Chick-fil-A's many charitable donations to anti-gay-marriage organizations.
For months afterward, protesters rallied outside Chick-fil-A restaurants across the country and held "kiss-ins," where same-sex couples kissed in front of onlookers and TV cameras covering the backlash.
Since then, Chick-fil-A has worked to shed its controversial image and over time, protests against the chain have largely dissipated.
Given the backlash against Dorsey's Chick-fil-A meal, however, it seems the fast-food chain still has some work to do to move past Cathy's comments.